Material handling bucket

ABSTRACT

There is provided a material handling lift bucket of the selfcleaning type for attachment to a tractor. The bucket includes a horizontally elongated bucket body having a laterally extending generally concave interior surface closed at its ends to define a bucket cavity and a gridwork is provided having a contour complimentary to the concave interior surface. Pusher means are provided for sliding the gridwork laterally over the interior surface. Thus, sticky materials are prevented from remaining in the deep pockets or cavity of the bucket.

United States Patent [191 Nordstrom [4 1 Sept. 9, 1975 I MATERIALHANDLING BUCKET [75] Inventor: Lloyd Nordstrom, Belle Fourche, S.

Dak.

22 Filed: Feb. 28, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 446,623

[52] U.S. Cl. 214/146 E; 37/1 17.5 [51] Int. Cl. EOZF 3/81 [58] Field ofSearch 214/145, 146 E, 510, 767; 37/1 17.5

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,786,591 3/1957 Neumeister214/510 3,407,952 10/1968 Gardner 3,750,816 8/1973 Becker 214/146 EFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 453,309 12/1927 Germany 214/146 EPrimary ExaminerAlbert J. Makay Assistant ExaminerRoss Weaver Attorney,Agent, or FirmMason, Kolehmainer, Rathburn & Wyss [57] ABSTRACT There isprovided a material handling lift bucket of the self-cleaning type forattachment to a tractor. The bucket includes a horizontally elongatedbucket body having a laterally extending generally concave interiorsurface closed at its ends to define a bucket cavity and a gridwork isprovided having a contour complimentary to the concave interior surface.Pusher means are provided for sliding the gridwork laterally over theinterior. surface. Thus, sticky materials are prevented from remainingin the deep pockets or cavity of the bucket.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures MATERIAL HANDLING BUCKET The presentinvention relates to material handling lift buckets, and moreparticularly to a lift bucket for attachment to a tractor having meansto raise and lower the bucket and means to tilt the bucket for loading,raising and dumping the contents thereof.

Difficulty has heretofore been experienced in the handling of wet,sticky materials, such as ores, in as much as they tend to stick in thedeep pocket cavities of the material handling bucket. Commonly, suchbuckets are pounded to get the last sticky material out. Such severepounding or beating of the bucket creates mechanical problems because ofthe severe treatment that the bucket must take.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is the provision of anew and improved material handling lift bucket.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a new andimproved self-cleaning material handling bucket.

Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided amterial handling lift bucket for attachment to a tractor having means toraise and lower the bucket and mean to tilt the bucket for loading,raising and dumping the contents thereof. The bucket is of the typecommonly attached to the front end of a tractor as a front end loaderand high lift bucket and commonly is shaped of a horizontally elongatedbucket body having a laterally extending generally concave in teriorsurface closed at its ends to define a bucket cavity. In accordance withthe present invention, there is provided a gridwork having a contourcomplimentary to the interior concave surface and means are provided forsliding the gridwork laterally over the surface to dislodge stickymaterials.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following descrip' tion and claims and from theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an end view of a material handling bucket according to thepresent invention, partly in broken away section;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the material loading bucket of FIG. 1 asviewed along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the material handling bucket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross sectional view illustrating a detail of thebucket of FIG. 1, taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a prespective view of the gridwork of the bucket of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated a material handlinglift bucket including a bucket body 12 having hinge means 13, 14, 15 forattachment to arms 16, 17, 18 of a tractor (not shown). The illustratedbucket 10 is of the type mounted at one end of the tractor and known asa front loader. Moreover, by manipulation of the arms 16, 17, 18 throughthe controls of the tractor, the tractor operator can pivot the bucket10 about its longitudinal axis throughout a wide arc, and including thescooping position illustrated in solid in FIG. 1, a lifting positionwith the cavity of the bucket 10 opening upwardly as indicated inphantom in FIG. 1, to a dumping position wherein the cavity of thebucket 10 opens downwardly (not shown) for dumping the contents of thebucket 10.

The bucket body 12 is horizontally elongated having a laterallyextending generally concave interior surface 12A closed at its ends asat 128 to define a bucket cavity 20. The interior surface 12A isofuniform cross section throughout its lateral length and terminates alongone longitudinal end into an outwardly or downwardly flared spade orscoop 21.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a-gridwork25 formed of spaced interconnecting lateral bars 26, 27, 28 and 29 andtransverse bars 30 also having a laterally extending generally concaveexterior surface complimentary to the surface of the bucket body 12 andextending over a portion of the surface 12A of the bucket body 12.

Means are provided for sliding the gridwork 25 laterally back and forthover the interior surface 12A of the bucket thereby to remove stickymaterials which may have lodged in deep pocket portions of the bucketcavity 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the gridwork 25 is guided forlateral sliding movement by a plurality of guide pins 32 fixed to thebucket body 12 and extending through guide slots 33 in the end ones ofthe lateral bars 26, 29. Hydraulic pusher means including a doubleacting hydraulic cylinder 35 is provided, and includes a piston rod 35Aconnected to the gridwork 25 by a connecting pin 37 movable through aslot 38 in the bucket body 12.

It will be understood that to clean the bucket 20 of materials which mayhave lodged within the bucket, it is merely necessary to actuate thehydraulic cylinder 35 and slide the gridwork 25 laterally across theinterior surface 12A of the bucket 20, thereby dislodging all materialsfrom the interior surface of the bucket.

Although the present invention has been described by reference to asingle embodiment thereof, it will be apparent that numerous othermodifications and embodiments will be devised by those skilled in theart which will fall within the true spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

l. A material handling lift bucket for attachment to a tractor havingmeans to raise and lower the bucket and means to tilt the bucket forloading, raising, and dumping the contents thereof, said bucketcomprising:

a horizontally elongated bucket body having a laterally extendinggenerally concave interior surface closed at its ends to define a bucketcavity;

hinge means on said bucket body adapting said bucket for attachment to atractor;

a gridwork comprising a plurality of spaced apart parallel verticalmembers having a contour complimentary to said concave interior surfaceand mounted for lateral horizontal displacement in contact with saidsurface;

said gridwork including one or more horizontal members interconnectingsaid vertical members;

pin and slot connector means for interconnecting said gridwork andbucket body at a plurality of spaced apart locations for supporting saidgridwork for reciprocal limited lateral horizontal movement on saidbucket body between said closed ends;

pusher means for pushing said gridwork laterally to one side of saidbucket body along said surface thereof.

2. A material handling lift bucket as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidsurface is of uniform cross section throughout the lateral length ofsaid bucket.

3. A material handling lift bucket as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidpusher means including hydraulic means interconnecting said bucket bodyand said gridwork for sliding said gridwork laterally over said surface.

4. The lift bucket of claim 1 wherein said gridwork includes a pair ofsaid horizontal members interconnecting the upper and lower ends of saidvertical members and wherein said pin and slot connector means includesslots aligned with said pair of horizontal members.

cal members of said gridwork.

1. A material handling lift bucket for attachment to a tractor havingmeans to raise and lower the bucket and means to tilt the bucket forloading, raising, and dumping the contents thereof, said bucketcomprising: a horizontally elongated bucket body having a laterallyextending generally concave interior surface closed at its ends todefine a bucket cavity; hinge means on said bucket body adapting saidbucket for attachment to a tractor; a gridwork comprising a plurality ofspaced apart parallel vertical members having a contour complimentary tosaid concave interior surface and mounted for lateral horizontaldisplacement in contact with said surface; said gridwork including oneor more horizontal members interconnecting said vertical members; pinand slot connector means for interconnecting said gridwork and bucketbody at a plurality of spaced apart locations for supporting saidgridwork for reciprocal limited lateral horizontal movement on saidbucket body between said closed ends; pusher means for pushing saidgridwork laterally to one side of said bucket body along said surfacethereof.
 2. A material handling lift bucket as set forth in claim 1wherein said surface is of uniform cross section throughout the laterallength of said bucket.
 3. A material handling lift bucket as set forthin claim 1 wherein said pusher means including hydraulic meansinterconnecting said bucket body and said gridwork for sliding saidgridwork laterally over said surface.
 4. The lift bucket of claim 1wherein said gridwork includes a pair of said horizontal membersinterconnecting the upper and lower ends of said vertical members andwherein said pin and slot connector means includes slots aligned withsaid pair of horizontal members.
 5. The lift bucket of claim 4 whereinsaid pusher means includes fluid cylinder means interconnected betweensaid bucket body a gridwork spaced at a level between said pair ofhorizontal members.
 6. The lift bucket of claim 1 wherein said pin andslot connector means is dimensioned to provide limited relative lateralhorizontal movement of said gridwork on said bucket body in an amountwhereby said vertical members move to clear a space on said interiorsurface at least as great as the spacing between adjacent verticalmembers of said gridwork.